Brandeo is an online marketing resource that cuts through the clutter to update you on the need-to-know marketing ideas and insights that help build brands and increase sales.
UFC star Chuck Liddell is shooting "The Way of the Brisk" (as in Lipton Brisk) when "Tiny Chuck," a puppet with lots of brawn and no brains destroys the set. Very funny---but it does make me wary of puppets.
Stands for 'quick service restaurant.'Quick service restaurants typically provide counter service only and serve quickly prepared foods. Examples of QSRs include McDonald's, Burger King, Arby's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell.
Ford says it may expand its upscale Lincoln brand outside North America, for the first time, to markets around the world. wsj.com 8/21/10
AT&T is rebranding its homepage as YP.com with the tagline "Click Less. Live More." YP.com is focused on helping users "eat, play, and live" locally. webpronews 8/20/10
Some institutional shareholders have protested Target’s and Best Buy’s donations to a conservative Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate who opposes gay marriages saying the donations are inconsistent with corporate values and could harm the companies' brands. Huffingtonpost.com 8/20/10
Cadillac is launching a CTS Coupe that will compete against vehicles like the BMW 335i Coupe, Mercedes-Benz E350 Coupe, and Audi A5. Media Post 8/20/10
Whole Foods Market is launching an iPad/iPhone/iPod touch app designed to help people live healthier lifestyles. "Mission App," offers 70 challenges/missions that involve users engaging in a series of steps to earn "badges and bragging rights." MediaPost 8/20/10
Anheuser-Busch Budweiser share of the U.S. market in 1988 was 26 percent, but was 9.3 percent last year. Some observers say the Budweiser brand risks being forgotten by an entire generation; four out of 10 people in their mid-20s have never tried Budweiser. stltoday 8/20/10
Levi Strauss & Co has launched dENIZEN, a new global brand aimed at young consumers in emerging markets starting in China, Singapore and South Korea. Associated Press 8/19/10
Facebook has announced new location-based capabilities that will allow its 150 million mobile users to check in when they arrive at bars, restaurants, and clothing shops through its new Places platform. Facebook advertising partners Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, and Booyah could get a boost in campaign distribution to Facebook's 500 million users. Clickz.com 8/19/10
Fashion espionage is allegedly to blame for the new Gucci bag seen on the shoulder of Jersey Shore star Snooki in recent photos. Sources claim that a Gucci rival gave Snooki the bag in a counter-branding move to damage the brand’s image. Seriously. GraziaDaily.com 8/19/10
Hearst Magazines has established The App Lab to address the explosion of consumer usage of mobile devices and related platforms and applications. The App Lab will offer educational sessions and previews of emerging mobile content, applications and platforms, including iPad and other tablets; advertiser and agency roundtables on new ad formats and models; and consumer insight panels, among other programming. webwire.com 8/19/10
The Old Spice advertising campaign featuring Isaiah Mustafa as a towel-draped ladies man has boosted sales for Old Spice body wash by 55% says Wieden + Kennedy. AgencySpy 8/19/10
Starbucks Corp's (SBUX.O) announcement of $100 million in global sales of Via brand instant coffee is being questioned by reports that numbers are inflated by free drinks and crediting non Via sales to Via. The company says the instances were limited and had no impact sales. Reuters 8/18/10
Volvo says no longer being tied to a major manufacturer will enable it to react quickly to market demands and enter "the top league of premium brands.” autospies.com 8/18/10
Haim Saban has purchased Paul Frank Industries, the company that owns brands including Julius the Monkey, Lip Smackers lip balm, and about 150 characters, which are licensed for use in toys, apparel, and accessories. Thewrap.com 8/17/10
BMW has branded its new concept car the Megacity Vehicle or MCV, an all-electric car--similar to the Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt. Fastcodesign.com 8/16/10
MAC has cancelled the MAC Rodarte limited edition makeup collection, which was inspired by the impoverished Mexican town of Juarez, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world with many victims young women and children. Elle 8/17/10
Controversial urban hipster brand American Apparel is close to bankruptcy after numerous woes including a 66% share drop in 12 months, the exit of auditor Deloitte and a federal subpoenainvestigating the change from Deloitte to Marcum. NYTimes.com 8/17/10
McDonald’s is the current winner of the quick-service breakfast wars, attracting 37 percent of adult consumers who have eaten breakfast at a quick-service chain in the past month. McDonald’s and other quick service chains have attracted breakfast customers with wireless Internet access at their stores, coupons and online offers says Scarborough Research. nrn.com 8/16/10
Levi’s has launched a new lined called Levi's Curve ID that offers women jeans that complement their body type. Freep.com 8/14/2010
Kellogg Co.has debuted Pop-Tart World, a pop up store in Times Square, where customers can eat Pop-Tart “sushi,” order a customized pastry, create a custom box filled with a mix of their favorite flavors, suggest new types of Pop-Tarts, select a Pop-Tart T-shirt made by specialty artists or get “frosted” and “wrapped in foil” by a light show. The State.com 8/14/2010
Jaguar Cars has created the XJ75 Platinum Concept a demonstration of the design customization potential of the XJ luxury sedan, as part of their year long celebration of the Jaguar brand’s 75th anniversary. PRNewswire 8/14/2010
Kroger Co. has doubled its number of store-brand beauty products this summer and plans to continue to launch more products this fall and next year. Their Mirra brand beauty line contains natural ingredients and is priced below brands such as L’Oreal, Aveeno and Olay. Associated Press 8/13/10
Walgreens (WAG) is rolling out its DR Delish private brand line of snacks and beverages nationally; they acquired the line as part of their purchase of Duane Reade Drugstores. Marketwatch.com 8/13/10
The East India Company, world’s first multinational trading company, known for bringing exotic foods from the east to the west, beginning in 1600, has been relaunched as a luxury brand. The company ceased operating in 1874; intellectual property rights to the company were purchased by an Indian-born importer and entrepreneur in 2005. CNN.com 8/13/10
An advocacy group claims that Ben & Jerry's All Natural ice cream and frozen yogurt contains ingredients that either don’t exist in nature or have been chemically modified such as alkalized cocoa and corn syrup. The company says it abides by federal guidelines in using the term natural. Boston.com 8/13/10
Hyundai has replaced Nissan to become one of the top five most considered automotive brands among new-car shoppers, according to the Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence Brand Watch Study. NYTimes.com 8/12/10
David Lauren, son of fashion brand founder Ralph Lauren, tells Blogher conference attendees that his father was born in the Bronx as Ralph Lifshitz and was a salesman, not a trained fashion designer. But his idea was to dress for the life you wanted, and who you wanted to be: "It's not about fabric. It's about dreams." The Recessionista 8/12/10
Nation's Restaurant News has published a survey from Market Force that asked Americans to rank their favorite casual-dining chain restaurants. The survey, conducted between May and June is based on results from 5,000 of the firm's 300,000 independent mystery shoppers, named Cheesecake Factory number one in 6 of 10 categories, including food taste and quality, atmosphere, and cleanliness.
In July sales versus a year ago GM's four core brands were up 25%, Ford (F) was up 3%, Toyota (TM) was down 3%. Washington Post 8/8/10
A former executive with the company that owns the Thomas' English Muffins brand has been barred from working for rival Hostess Brands. His former employer says the executive is one of seven people in the world who know the step-by-step process of putting the "nooks and crannies" or air pockets in Thomas' English muffins. UPI.com 8/7/10
Sambazon, a San Clemente, Calif., firm that makes products based on acai, has launched a brand positioning featuring “Sambazon Warriors,” “ ‘everyday warriors’ in which consumers can join and feel they are part of a movement. A Facebook app that lets consumers add a headdress to their photo is part of the campaign. Brandweek 8/6/10
Is an Apple (AAPL) iBike in the works? PatentlyApple.com says a patent application from Apple was published by the US Patent & Trademark Office on August 5, 2010 that reveals various concepts behind a newly advanced Smart Bicycle System for individuals as well as teams of cyclists. The Bicycle system monitors speed, distance, time, altitude, elevation, incline, decline, heart rate, power, derailleur setting, cadence, wind speed, path completed, expected future path, heart rate, power, and pace. The system could utilize various sensors built-into the iPhone in addition to working with sensors already built-into the bike itself.” PatentlyApple.com 8/5/2010.
Liz Claiborne Inc (LIZ.N) which has not seen a profit in about three years has posted a much smaller-than-expected loss and says it will turn profitable on an adjusted basis in the fourth quarter. It has closed underperforming stores, worked on underperforming brands and signed an exclusive deal with J.C. Penney Co Inc (JCP.N) to sell its namesake line. Reuters 8/5/10
GM will return to the Super Bowl in 2011; an ad campaign will break next month for the Chevy Camaro; and there's a new tagline coming for Cadillac, "The new standard for the world.” AdAge 8/5/2010
The Coca-Cola Company (KO) and the WNBA are partnering to promote Coca-Cola’s "Live Positively" initiative and WNBA Cares.
Clinics will teach fitness skills and nutrition to kids and holding camps in local parks will encourage people to visit neighborhood parks and be more active. BrandWeek 8/3/2010
Lay's Kettle Cooked potato chip brand is using handcrafted wood billboards to reinforce their "all natural ingredients, crafted with care,” and to launch new flavors Crinkle Cut Spice Rubbed BBQ and Harvest Ranch. BrandFreak 6/4/10
The New York Times wants the Wall Street Journal to stop using the slogan “Not Just Wall Street. Every Street” in its advertisements because it owns the line. The Wall Street Journal says they are within their rights to use the adding “We never intended to run the ad for long. We think we’ve made our point. And to get rise out of you is a special bonus.” PaidContent 6/4/10
“Toning shoes” are driving market share gains for Adidas AG’s Reebok unit and Skechers U.S.A. Inc. as Nike’s lead in U.S. women’s athletic footwear shrinks. Nike, the world’s largest athletic shoemaker, says the shoes don’t work, and women thinking of buying toning shoes should buy its Free brand, which simulates barefoot running to strengthen feet and muscles. Bloomberg 6/3/10
The Federal Trade Commission has scolded the Kellogg Company for making “dubious claims” that Rice Krispies cereal provides children with health benefits. The company was recently told to stop making similar claims about Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal. The Consumerist 6/3/10
”McDonald’s is not releasing or testing a new boneless rib product called “McRibble.” The company says that a supposedly leaked ad for the new product is a hoax. The Consumerist 6/3/10
Ford Motor announces that it will discontinue selling Mercury models this fall. Originally conceived by Edsel Ford, Henry Ford’s son, the Mercury brand was launched in the 1930s to fill the gap between basic Fords and luxury Lincolns. New York Times 6/2/10
British Airways says a fictitious boarding pass pictured in an employee publication, and bearing Osama Bin Laden’s name and flight details was a mistake, and has apologized. The Daily Mail reports the gaffe may have been the result of "sabotage" by a "dissatisfied staff member,” and may be related to “a standoff with cabin crew that has led to mass strikes." USA Today 6/3/2010, The Daily Mail 6/1/10
The National Basketball Association has signed licensing deals to enable NBA team logos made of sugar, starch and food cloring to be placed on pizzas after they have been baked. Consumers will also be able to purchase toasters $34.99 toasters that "burn" golden brown team logos onto bread as it toasts. USAToday 5/26/10
Apple (AAPL) has sold more than two million iPad tablet computers since its launch on April 3rd. Techcrunch 5/31/10
Wal-Mart (WMT) is cutting prices an average of 30 percent on 22 foods and other essentials, restoring brands it previously dropped, and replacing trendy clothing with basic styles to reinforce their brand positioning and fight competition from dollar stores, local grocery chains and other big box retailers. Huffingtonpost.com 5/29/10
Ford Motor Company (F) says it’s reviewing its portfolio of brands and specific nameplates but won’t confirm it plans to kill the Mercury brand. LAtimes.com 5/29/10
A key attraction of Procter & Gamble’s (PG) purchase of Natura Pet Products is thought to be access to Natura’s distribution channel of independent pet stores. But pet supply retailers have taken to social media to protest that the buy will adversely affect them. Advertising Age 5/29/10
Heineken has launched "Your Heineken", enabling European consumers to personalize Heineken sleeves with provided photography/images, see 3D visualization of their creation and order the six-pack of Heineken. Mediabistro 5/28/10
When guests check in at Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) brands – Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Staybridge Suites or Candlewood Suites – on the Gowalla mobile social network via their mobile phone between now and Aug. 31, they receive “Hit it Big” rewards including loyalty points, double air miles, retail gift cards, etc., to promote IHG’s loyalty programs. Mobile Marketer 5/28/10
Time Warner and NBC Universal do not plan to convert their existing Flash-authored videos to HTML5 format so they can be viewed on Apple’s new iPad. PCMag.com 5/28/10
Ann Taylor (ANN) apologizes for altering images of models on their web site to make them appear perfectly shaped and unnaturally slender. Jezebel via BrandFreak 5/28/10
Kraft (KFT) is targeting women 35-54 with their recently launched Sandwich Shop brand of flavored, restaurant-inspired mayonnaises. Brandweek 5/27/10
Procter & Gamble (PG) has relaunched the Pantene brand with a new campaign and a contest that announced the “First Reality TV Hair Star,” during NBC's season finale of The Biggest Loser: Couples. Brandweek 5/27/10
Pabst Brewing Co., the maker of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Schlitz, will be sold to food investor C. Dean Metropoulos. Pabst Blue Ribbon is seeing a resurgence in popularity 20-somethings. HuffingtonPost.com 5/26/10
